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On the Space Station and Prerequisites for the Human Exploration Program: Letter Report.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 1993.

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On the Space Station and Prerequisites for the Human Exploration Program
On the Space Station and Prerequisites
for the Human Exploration Program
On March 19, 1993, Space Studies Board Chair Louis J. Lanzerotti sent
the following letter, accompanying the report cited, to NASA Administrator Daniel
Goldin.
It is my pleasure to present to you, on behalf of the Space Studies Board
and its Committee on Human Exploration, copies of our new report, Scientific
Prerequisites for the Human Exploration of Space. This report surveys and
elaborates the key research that must be carried out before a program of human
exploration can be undertaken. This research is necessary to establish whether
long-duration human spaceflight is possible, and if it is, what technical
approaches are most likely to be successful and productive.
Substantial preparatory work for Moon and Mars missions can be
conducted by robotic probes, but I would like to take this opportunity to elaborate
on the special roles of the life sciences and of a piloted space station. NASA has
recently announced the intention of conducting a sweeping review of the Space
Station Freedom program. Recognizing that the decision to expand human
presence into the solar system "must be based on nontechnical factors,"1 the
Board has steadfastly maintained that "a properly equipped and configured space
station is pivotal"2 to essential preliminary research. The enclosed report states3
that
The Space Studies Board strongly affirms the position that a
suitably equipped space-based laboratory is required to study the
physiological consequences of long-term spaceflight.
The Board has summarized the major characteristics of such a space station on
several occasions, extracting these from the fundamental guidance provided in
the Goldberg report of its Committee on Space Biology and Medicine.4
At the same time that the space station design is being reevaluated, it is
apparent that the new administration may be reexamining the position of human
space exploration within national priorities. Human return to the Moon or
exploration of Mars may not be pursued on an aggressive timetable in our current
environment of constrained resources-indeed, the Augustine Committee
recommended that the Mission From Planet Earth be undertaken on a "go-as-you-
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On the Space Station and Prerequisites for the Human Exploration Program
pay" basis.5 However, the Board has noted that "many of the fundamental
problems in life sciences research involve a long period of time for their pursuit
and solution."6 The enclosed report asserts,7 nonetheless, that
the difficulties currently being experienced by the space station
project do not negate the essential need for such a facility to
perform the enabling research on human adaptation to the
microgravity environment necessary for a Moon/Mars program.
The current redesign efforts should be based on a realistic assessment of
the depth and pace of America's commitment to human exploration of the inner
solar system. The body of the Board's work in space biology, together with the
efforts of other advisory groups,8 provides comprehensive guidance on the
capabilities needed to pave the way for this enterprise. If the goal of human
exploration is superseded as the premise for the nation's space station program,
planning and implementation of orbital research infrastructure should be adjusted
to meet the requirements of the new objectives efficiently and cost-consciously.
We must recognize, however, that such decisions might significantly delay the
nation's option for human expansion into the solar system.
I look forward to the opportunity to meet, at your convenience, with you
and your colleagues to discuss our report further.
1Committee on Space Policy, Toward a New Era in Space: Realigning Policies to
New Realities, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1988.
2Space Studies Board, letter to NASA Administrator Richard Truly, March 30,
1992.
3Committee on Human Exploration of the Space Studies Board, Scientific
Prerequisites for the Human Exploration of Space, National Academy Press,
Washington, D.C., 1993, p. 13.
4Committee on Space Biology and Medicine of the Space Science Board, A
Strategy for Space Biology and Medicine for the 1980s and 1990s, National
Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1987.
5Report of the Advisory Committee on the Future of the U.S. Space Program,
Superintendent of Documents (GPO), Washington, D.C., December 1990.
6Space Studies Board, "Space Studies Board Position on Proposed Redesign of
Space Station Freedom," March 14, 1991. 7 Ref. 3, p. 13.
8Aerospace Medicine Advisory Committee of the NASA Advisory Council,
Strategic Considerations for Support of Humans in Space and Moon/Mars
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